The seasonally adjusted jobless rate in the Pittsburgh area stalled at 4.8 percent in January, the same rate at December but down from 5 percent in November.
Local numbers, released Tuesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, were slightly higher than the statewide rate of 4.6 percent, which fell one-tenth of a percent in January. Nationwide, the jobless rate registered at 4.9 percent in both January and February.
The regional jobless rate, calculated across seven counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, puts Pittsburgh 13th among the state’s 18 metro areas with the lowest unemployment. Within the region, Butler County had the lowest seasonally adjusted rate at 4.3 percent, and Fayette County had the highest at 6.8 percent.
The Pittsburgh-area workforce lost roughly 7,600 people in January, after growing by 3,800 in December and 600 in November, according to seasonally adjusted data. That includes both employed workers and those who are unemployed but looking for work.
The ranks of the unemployed shrunk by 400 people across the region, even as the state counted about 7,200 fewer people as employed. The government defines unemployed people as those without jobs who are available for work and who make specific efforts to find employment.
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Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh-area job count was a lesson in how seasonal positions can influence the region’s numbers. Employers cut about 29,100 jobs from their payrolls in January, according to the job count that does not account for normal gains and losses. About the same number of jobs existed the year before.
But seasonally adjusted figures indicated the job count had actually increased by 2,700 in January and were up 4,300 from the previous year.
The agency’s press release points out “expected seasonal declines” from December to January.
Retail trade lost 6,300 jobs in January, according to figures not seasonally adjusted. Construction cut 4,900 jobs, but is up 500 jobs from the previous year. Leisure and hospitality, a hiring bright spot, lost 3,100 jobs for the month, but has added 5,800 positions compared with one year ago.
“All in all, we saw some positive changes in employment,” said Dillon Moore, data and performance manager for the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, noting the seasonal nature of some sectors. Mr. Moore pointed out the state’s finding that Allegheny County showed the largest annual increase in number of jobs and people in the labor force.
The agency is scheduled to release statewide unemployment data for the month of February on Friday.
Daniel Moore: dmoore@post-gazette.com, 412-263-2743 and Twitter @PGdanielmoore.
First Published: March 16, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
